Ejector mechanism, ejector device, and methods of use

Abstract

An ejector device and method of delivering safe, suitable, and repeatable dosages to a subject for topical, oral, nasal, or pulmonary use is disclosed. The ejector device includes a housing, a reservoir disposed within the housing for receiving a volume of fluid, and an ejector mechanism in fluid communication with the reservoir and configured to eject a stream of droplets, the ejector mechanism comprising an ejector plate coupled to a generator plate and a piezoelectric actuator; the piezoelectric actuator being operable to oscillate the ejector plate, and thereby the generator plate, at a frequency and generate a directed stream of droplets.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 569,739, filed Dec. 12, 2011, and of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 591,786, filed Jan. 27, 2012, contents of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entireties.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Using spray devices to administer products in the form of mists or sprays is an area with large potential for safe, easy-to-use products. A major challenge in providing such a device is to provide consistent and accurate delivery of suitable doses.[0003]An important area where spray devices are needed is in delivery of eye medications. The application of fluids, as in the case of eye drops, has always posed a problem, especially for children and animals who tend to blink or jerk at the critical moment of administration, causing the droplet to land on the eyelid, nose or other part of the face. The impact of a large drop or drops of fluid on the eyeball, espe...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

A major challenge in providing such a device is to provide consistent and accurate delivery of suitable doses.

The application of fluids, as in the case of eye drops, has always posed a problem, especially for children and animals who tend to blink or jerk at the critical moment of administration, causing the droplet to land on the eyelid, nose or other part of the face.

Elderly also often lose the hand coordination necessary to get the eye drops into their eyes.

Stroke victims have similar difficulties.

However, in practice, subjects that are prescribed eye medications for home use tend to forget to dose, or dose excessively or cross-dose with other medications.

One of the compliance problems is that, even if the subject is intent on following the treatment regimen, he or she may not be compliant for any number of reasons.

Current eye dropper bottles pose the risk of poking the user in the eye, potentially causing physical damage to the eye, and further, exposing the tip to bacterial contamination due to contact with the eye.

As such, the subject runs the risk of contaminating the medication in the eye drop bottle and subsequently infecting the eye.

Additionally, a large volume of the medication flows out of the eye or is washed away by the tearing reflex.

As a result, this method of administration is also inaccurate and wasteful.

Moreover, the technology does not provide a satisfactory way of controlling the amount of medication that is dispensed, nor does it provide a way of ensuring that the medication that is dispensed actually lands on the eye and remains on the eye.

Eye droppers also provide no way of verifying compliance by a subject.

Even if after a week of use the eye dropper bottle could be checked for the total volume of medication dispensed, e.g., by weighing the bottle, this does not provide a record of day-to-day compliance.

Also, the poor precision with which eye droppers deliver drops to the eye makes it difficult to determine whether the medication is actually delivered into the eye, even though it may have been dispensed.

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